This morning, I took a discussion taxi to the UN. This is not a regular taxi. This is not a private car. This is not a mini-bus. This, my friends, is a discussion taxi. There is a word for the discussion taxi in Amharic, but I do not know it off the top of my head. I will ask my Amharic teacher tomorrow.
The discussion taxi is essentially a pick up truck with a make shift roof over the back. There are two benches on either side of the long part of the back and the make shift roof has windows on the side looking out and a door at the back. You pile on this truck and sit on your bench even more crammed in than the mini-bus. The discussion taxi apparently got its name because people are facing each other, so this makes it a more social atmosphere, conducive to visiting and chatting. Not so much. In my excitement of sitting in my first discussion taxi, I went out of my head and asked everyone if I could take a picture of us sitting on the discussion taxi. Naïve firenje (meaning foreigner in Amharic), they must have thought. Instantly everyone shielded their faces and said no photo, no photo, no photo! They must have thought I was crazy or some kind of reporter. Talk about embarrassing.. I told you, wherever I go, embarrassing anecdotes are bound to follow!
Also with the discussion taxi, you have to push past everyone to get off when it is your spot and you cannot scream Woraj to the driver because he is sitting in the cab which is below the back of the truck/discussion taxi where the passengers are sitting. He would not be able to hear you. There are metal bars that run along the top of the roof in the back and you have to tap on them with your metal keys (I learnt this tidbit from observation) and it makes a loud ping ping ping noise. This then informs the driver to pull over and stop.
I think I accidently stepped on at least three sets of toes on my way off the mini-bus! So Sorry! Eeps. I will keep you posted on my ride home tonight.
